Orange Blossom Special

Album: Orange Blossom Special (1965)
Charted: 80
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This country-bluegrass number started life as a fiddle instrumental named after a train that ran from Miami to New York. It dates to 1938, when it was written and first recorded by the fiddle player Ervin T. Rouse. Later that year, it Roy Hall & his Blue Ridge Entertainers (with fiddle by Tommy Magness) recorded it with some vocal interludes along these lines:

    Where you going Roy?
    Gonna ride this Orange Blossom Special on down to Columbia, South Carolina


    The lyrics got refined over the years as various artists recorded the song. By the time Johnny Cash recorded it, the song had a story about a guy who's girl is coming home on the train.
  • The song is mostly associated with bluegrass fiddle, but Johnny Cash's version uses harmonica instead, which he played.

Comments: 2

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn January 13th 1965, Johnny Cash performed "Orange Blossom Special" on the ABC-TV program 'Shindig!'...
    And twenty-five days later on February 7th, 1965 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart for a six week stay, peaking at #80...
    It reached #3 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart...
    On the day of this 'Shindig!' appearance his covered version of "It Ain't Me, Babe" was at #7 on the Hot Country Singles chart, but he didn't perform it...
    In 1963 Billy Vaughn released an instrumental version of song; his version also spent 6 weeks on the Top 100 and peaked at #63...
    R.I.P. Mr. Cash {1932 - 2003}, Mr. Vaughn {1919 - 1991}, and Jimmy O'Neil {Shindig's host, 1940 -2013}.
  • Camille from Toronto, OhThis is a very recognizable instrumental song and worthy of the phrase 'country classic'.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Grateful Dead Characters

Grateful Dead CharactersMusic Quiz

Many unusual folks appear in Grateful Dead songs. Can you identify them?

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Female Singers Of The 90s

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.

The Evolution of "Ophelia"

The Evolution of "Ophelia"Song Writing

How four songs portray Shakespeare's character Ophelia.

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.